Award-winning developer Crest Nicholson has confirmed the launch of a brand-new division to support its regional portfolio and growth strategy. The new ‘Midlands’ division will be operational from August 2017 and based from a regional head office in Tamworth.

Crest Nicholson is familiar with the Midlands area having previously operated in the region, and most notably pioneered the award-winning Park Central development in the centre of Birmingham.

The announcement follows Crest Nicholson hitting a target of £1bn of sales in 2016 and demonstrates the business’ commitment to investing in high-quality locations. The second half of 2017 will see the new division in the Midlands established and operational.

The division will operate across Birmingham and the West Midlands and extend into Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

Crest Nicholson continues to invest in the Group’s land pipeline across the Southern half of the UK and remains firmly on track to meet ambitious 2019 targets of £1.4bn sales and 4,000 units.

As part of the launch, a small number of operational sites will transfer into the Midlands division from Crest Nicholson’s existing Chiltern team. In the meantime, both the Chiltern and Midlands regions will be actively pursuing the expansion of the Group’s land pipeline as it looks for new development sites to expand its portfolios throughout 2017.

Ben Miller, Managing Director, Tom Heathcote, Development Director, and Tristin Willis, Technical Director will be heading up the new Midlands division, all of whom are transferring from the current Crest Nicholson Chiltern team. Jon Cook, currently Production Director in the Chiltern team, is promoted to Managing Director where he will build on the success of the existing Chiltern division which operates out of St Albans in Hertfordshire.

“Strong purchaser demand for new homes continues to underpin a buoyant housing market and our business is well positioned to deliver volume growth in a disciplined manner.

“Setting up a new Midlands division clearly demonstrates our commitment to future growth and expanding our business into areas where we have a solid track record is an obvious next step. As a business, we have solid foundations on which to build and we are expanding our operations as we look forward with confidence to 2017 and beyond.”

Ben Miller, Managing Director at Crest Nicholson Midlands said:

“I am excited to launch our new Midlands division. Crest Nicholson is currently enjoying strong growth across all areas and we are eager to get to work, building high-quality sustainable communities across the Midlands region.”

Previous developments from Crest Nicholson in the Midlands include the award-winning Park Central scheme in Birmingham. The development is an ongoing 15-year project which Crest Nicholson has delivered in partnership with Birmingham City Council and Optima Community Association. When conceived the ambitious regeneration project set an entirely new benchmark for estate renewal. Now, after over a decade of careful consultation, planning and development, Crest Nicholson and its partners have successfully transformed the former Lee Bank Estate into a desirable mixed tenure community fit for city centre living.